Ohmme

Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart, two versatile Chicago-based musicians, operate as Ohmme, an experimental indie pop outfit whose arresting vocal harmonies and spare, angular guitar figures yield tracks that feel economical yet substantial through shrewd dynamic shifts that extract maximum texture from minimal ingredients. Before teaming up in 2014, the pair had already compiled extensive credits alongside a wide range of Windy City artists, drawing initial inspiration from the city’s improvisational circles. Once their approach coalesced, they issued a self-titled six-track EP in 2017 on the local Overcoat imprint, capturing their exploratory voice-and-guitar constructions. The following year they delivered their debut full-length, Parts, on Joyful Noise; the August 2018 release broadened their sonic range via extra instrumental hues while retaining a tight focus.

Both Cunningham and Stewart are classically trained pianists who became sought-after session players within Chicago’s independent scene. They contributed backing vocals to Chance the Rapper both live and on record, and they performed and arranged strings for Twin Peaks’ single “Tossin’ Tears.” Cunningham toured with Tweedy, the project led by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and his son Spencer Tweedy, while Stewart previously played in Kids These Days alongside future rapper Vic Mensa. They became regulars at Constellation, the city’s noted experimental and avant-garde venue, and Cunningham also programmed the adventurous Postock festival in Albany, Wisconsin. As they traded concepts for novel vocal-and-guitar configurations, the duo launched Ohmme and road-tested material at Constellation and Postock before entering the studio. The resulting Ohmme EP earned favorable notices, prompting larger gigs and festival slots that led them to add percussionist Matt Carroll—previously Stewart’s bandmate in Marrow—for select shows; the chemistry proved lasting, so Carroll joined full-time. Parts incorporated his drums and percussion alongside cameos from Tortoise’s Doug McCombs, jazz cellist Tomeka Reid, and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Ken Vandermark on reeds. Extensive touring behind the album shaped the material for their second LP, Fantasize Your Ghost, which Chris Cohen produced and Joyful Noise released in June 2020.